Ansible Interview

Jeff Wilson · 25 Jan 2009, 18:29 · from 2009-January.txt.gz

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From: jwilson at io.com (Jeff Wilson)
Date: Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:29:42 -0600
Subject: (urth) Ansible Interview
In-Reply-To: <0F7C52860DC74EDD9D1210178F8F52E6@GATEWAY>
References: <mailman.9833.1232582047.2909.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net><497867E5.2010005 at verizon.net><ecbb2eb0901240433p1341d1a3ied29caa9e693e766 at mail.gmail.com><7E62E592A5CA4E268CC4C9708AF1851E@GATEWAY>	<39ed084f0901241440v70ce97b4s73983a1fd80e6c54 at mail.gmail.com><F5E86098D2C64DD0A8A35FAB60FBDB3D@GATEWAY>	<497BC6CE.9030909 at io.com><A1ADA7E5C02547DFA91AE911EB8B59D0@GATEWAY>	<497BFE71.5040702 at io.com><85450FE639744252A140DAAB933C826E@GATEWAY>	<497CA13E.80400 at io.com>
	<0F7C52860DC74EDD9D1210178F8F52E6@GATEWAY>
Message-ID: <497CAF96.2000005 at io.com>

James Wynn wrote:
> Jeff Wilson wrote:
>>>> That would require some Dali-esque topology, with mountains hovering 
>>>> overhead between the solar tube and the valley floor.
> 
> Me:
>>> Well, the Whorl's topography *is* Dali-esque. And we know that it has 
>>> mountains. That's how the Cargo is prevented from reaching the other 
>>> portions of the ship.
> 
> Jeff:
>> What holds the mountains up?
> 
> [sigh] Look. There's mountains in the Whorl are just like any other 
> mountains. But the axis of mountains are not perpendicular to the Long Sun.
> 
> Imagine a mountain and a deep valley on a flat surface with a single 
> light source directly overhead. No shadows. Now tip the base toward the 
> valley. Suddenly the mountain does not point toward the light source 
> anymore and the valley falls into shadow.
> 
> This does not take a CAD program to imagine.

That would require tipping the base at a greater than complimentary 
angle with the slope of the mountain, that is, a degree for every degree 
short of a sheer, vertical cliff, and then more according to how much 
shadow you want. Unless you begin with a cartoonishly steep mountain, 
your valley floor ends up tilted as much as a conventional mountain 
slope on earth, making it very unvalley-like. And you still have to 
answer, what's holding this mountain up?

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
< http://www.io.com/~jwilson >

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